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Salutatorian Tsang did not rest on his laurels

Posted May 28, 2004; 11:10 a.m.

by quinones

Brian Tsang, a computer science major, is clear about why he took four semesters of Latin at Princeton: "I just felt that in order to get a complete education you need to know a little bit of Latin, at a very minimum," he said.

What he did not know was that his choice of language -- along with a sterling academic record across all his work -- would bring him another benefit: The University has selected him as the salutatorian of his class. He will deliver the salutatory address, which at Princeton is traditionally given in Latin, to his classmates at Commencement on Tuesday, June 1.

Tsang, who is from Ellicott City, Md., knew he wanted to be a computer science major when he enrolled as a freshman. But at the same time, he started taking Latin. "In the past, all science and math papers were written in Latin, which is why I have come to respect Latin so much," he said. "I kept going because all of my professors along the way had really interesting stories to tell about the Romans. They really kept you engaged."